The Third Gaza War: Devastating Consequences

Abstract

The chapter offers an intimate account of the author's involvement in ceasefire diplomacy and includes analysis how flaws in ceasefire understandings can have major consequences. Demonstrating diplomacy in action he analyses how flaws in a ceasefire understanding can have major unintended consequences. The UN and Secretary Kerry learned the bitter lesson of a ceasefire that should have stopped the war at mid-point, but instead was violated in the first hours and followed by some of the worst fighting. After the war the UN brokered the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) between Israel and the Palestinian government of national consensus. The mechanism was intended to open up Gaza for the massive reconstruction needs, but for reasons which are explained the GRM was never fully enabled. It is argued that Gaza must be prioritized for any future peace process to have a chance to succeed.